Teams and teamwork

Teams and teamwork is one of the most highlighted parts of organizational life. One simply has to learn to be a part of a team and must possess good teamwork skills in order to move up the organizational success ladder. In this regard business psychologists are constantly studying teams and team behaviors in order to learn about this important organizational element.

Working in teams is much more difficult and challenging then working alone. When an employee is working in a team he needs to interact with other members of the group and his attitudes, behavior and opinions get affected as a result of that. Each individual has its own beliefs, knowledge, desires and level of understanding and this produce complexity when they don’t match with the team’s decisions and other team members’ beliefs. This is the reason why business psychologists are still figuring out ways to make the teams effective and functional.

Some of the major problems that arise while working in a team are lack of commitment to the team task and giving preference to one’s own personal goals rather than the team goals. Decision making is also a big problem and it’s hardly possible that all the members of the team are in agreement with any particular decision.Poor communication among the team members and lack of participation by not completing the assignments are also major issues and can cause decision making to consume a lot of time.

Organizationssupport team work because a well established team can give better outcomes and quality results then a number of individuals. A lot of the creative ideas can emerge when people work in groups.Therefore organizations when building teams must heir the individuals that are highly skilled and diverse in background and level of awareness and responsibility. Furthermore one individual can overcome the weakness of other and produce efficient and effective results for the organization.

Organizations should focus on building teams that are not big in volume but big in team work and creative approach. The organizations should also try to make a team of people who share similar beliefs and values. The task which is assigned to the team 

must be clear and defined and a time should be assigned for its completion. Effective teams must encourage the participation of its every member.Organizations should also provide team rewards to help them keep motivated. For example if one team completes its target on time or in less time than the other team, they should be rewarded. This team reward system will encourage the group members to work in teams effectively.

An individual, as part of a team, should keep his personal interests aside and focus on team goals and objectives to be accomplished. An individual should effectively participate in a team task and complete hispart of the team assignments on time. Furthermore the team members must respect each other’s values, beliefs and feelings. A team member should first understand what value he can provide to the group and how he can enhance the team’s effectiveness. Individuals must also be trained by the organization in how to deal with the conflict in a team and how to raise their point of view. Negotiation skills can be enhanced continuously. Individuals must also understand their power of influence over other members for making an effective decision. The most important thing which must be understood by all the members of the team is how they can help to innovate and bring creativity to the team’s work from their distinctiveness and differences.

Thus an understanding of teams and team work can help organizations to solve various conflicts that can arise in certain labor unions and how to make them more efficient.